This year's Mexico elections may be the biggest in history. However, it may also be the bloodiest as several candidates for various positions have already been killed since last year, with the latest being the assassinations of two rival mayoral candidates from the town of Maravatio on the same day in the cartel-plagued Michoacan State.

Several states have reported local candidates in various positions, from mayors to lawmakers, being killed or abducted and threatened by organized crime. Many of these candidates are now concerned for their own safety.

One of them is Julian Lopez, a coordinator for the Citizen Movement party in Guerrero State, another state plagued by cartel violence. He is running in the state and was suddenly abducted earlier this month. He spoke with the Associated Press regarding his harrowing experience, telling the outlet that "rifle-toting gunmen abducted him and two colleagues while they were driving on Feb. 7."

He told the AP that he was "beaten, stripped of his possessions, made to kneel near a remote garbage dump, and ultimately abandoned in the middle of the night."

"How will it look to see a leader moving around the state of Guerrero with armed officials and in armored cars?" he asked the outlet. "I don't think that's the way to get closer to the people or promote citizen participation."

2024 will be the largest election in Mexico yet, with over 20,000 positions up for grabs on June 2 in all 32 jurisdictions. However, while national candidates will receive security details from federal authorities, local candidates, especially those running in territories held by local drug cartels, are completely exposed, and they are well aware of the danger that they are in.

Local Candidates in Mexico More Vulnerable Under Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Rule

Political violence in Mexico is nothing new. However, with more candidates running across the country, the violence is also expected to increase.

"Local power is extremely important to organized crime," said Political scientist Manuel Pérez Aguirre, who coordinates the College of Mexico's Violence and Peace Seminar's research into electoral violence. "That's why they look to establish control at the municipal level."

READ MORE: Mexico Elections: 2 Mayoral Candidates of the Same City Shot Dead, Within Hours Apart

The danger for these local candidates increased under the leadership of Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. When he created the quasi-military National Guard, he disbanded the federal police, and this has led the local police to struggle against the more heavily-armed drug cartels, according to ABC News.

"Local power has really been abandoned and municipal police haven't really been strengthened," Perez Aguirre added. He also pointed out that the president has been dismissive of the concerns of growing electoral violence, even after two mayoral candidates were killed on the same day.

Mexico Elections Campaign Period Officially Kicked Off

Meanwhile, it is already the official campaign period. Presidential candidates started out on friendly grounds, beginning their respective campaigns in their strongholds, including the ruling Morena Party's Claudia Sheinbaum, who is aiming to fill the biggest plaza in Mexico City.

Meanwhile, her closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, began her campaign in her own stronghold in Guanajuato, according to El Pais. The candidate polling third, Jorge álvarez Máynez, will be visiting the states of Sonora, Jalisco, and Nuevo León this weekend. These states are important in gaining a foothold for his Citizen's Movement party.

READ MORE: Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Says Law Does Not Apply To Him

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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